Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that international sports events, such as The Olympics or the Football World Cup, are a good way to bring countries together. Others say that these events create competition, not friendship, between countries.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

It is often argued whether organising international sports helps to create a strong bond between countries or drives them apart. While the citizens of distinct countries often get into heated argument because of international sports events, these events help creating a relation between countries.

People often fight with each other over their favourite team's performance. Although everyone wants their favourite team or player to win, a losing team disappoints their fans, who channel their emotions into destructive behaviour. As people are emotionally attached to a game, they take the game very seriously, which leads to a fight amongst different team supporters. Moreover, some people put their country rivalry forward instead of professionalism. For instance, a cricket match between India and Pakistan is held professionally; however, citizens of both countries take it as a personal rivalry by mocking each other on the internet.

Conversely, people love to watch international sports events. These sports not only provide the opportunity for players to improve their performance but also to interact with each other. This fosters an environment where players eat and compete under a same roof. These activities increase mutual respect between the players and also allow them to exchange their culture. For instance, in the Olympics, athletes from distinct countries congratulate each other on their wins, which gives a strong message that despite political differences and competition, they stand with each other in the moment of their joy and happiness.

In conclusion, although some people release their personal grudges on other people, I believe international sports events foster an environment where countries can connect with each other. The platform provides a strong message to society that despite having personal differences, people can come together and share a moment of joy with each other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views regarding whether international sports events unite or divide countries, and includes a clear personal opinion. The main ideas are generally relevant, but some parts are under-developed rather than thoroughly extended. For instance, while the paragraph on negative competition mentions fan behaviour and online mocking between India and Pakistan, the exploration of how this impacts international relations as a whole lacks deeper analysis. Similarly, the positive view highlights cultural exchange and mutual respect at the Olympics, but these points could have been reinforced with more robust explanation. The position is maintained throughout the essay, leading to a satisfactory fulfillment of the requirements for this criterion, though pushing toward a higher band would require more fully fleshed-out examples and extended reasoning for each viewpoint.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct perspective. However, cohesion at times feels a bit mechanical or repetitive in its transition use, such as relying heavily on words like 'moreover' and 'conversely'. Referencing is generally clear, though certain transitional links between sentences could flow more smoothly to avoid a choppy feel. To achieve a higher level of cohesion, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible variety of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing within and between paragraphs is managed with greater subtlety.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common lexical items such as 'professionalism', 'destructive behaviour', and 'cultural exchange'. Communication is never impeded by lexical choices, although there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as writing 'helps creating' instead of 'helps to create' or 'country rivalry' instead of 'national rivalry'. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the text. To reach the next band, the writer needs to expand their use of sophisticated and less common vocabulary with a higher degree of precision and natural collocation control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent command of sentence structure. The writer successfully uses subordinate clauses and conditional elements, such as 'Although everyone wants their favourite team or player to win...' and 'As people are emotionally attached to a game...'. There are some grammatical errors present, such as 'helps creating' (gerund/infinitive misuse) and minor article or preposition slips like 'under a same roof' instead of 'under the same roof'. However, these errors do not impede communication and are typical of a steady mid-level control of grammar and punctuation. To improve further, the writer should aim for a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and refine minor structural patterns.

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